The Coast Guard assisted a sick passenger aboard a fishing vessel Tuesday off the coast of Carteret County.

The captain of the Capt. Stacy IV, an Atlantic Beach-based headboat, contacted the Coast Guard at approximately 9:30 a.m. via VHF channel 16 to report that a 63-year-old female aboard was experiencing difficulty breathing and assistance was needed, according to a Coast Guard news release.

The fishing vessel was located about 17 miles southeast of Fort Macon at the time.

A boat crew from Station Fort Macon was dispatched and arrived on scene about 10 a.m. The woman and her family were transferred to the 47-foot Motor Life Boat and taken to the Coast Station, where emergency medical personnel from Atlantic Beach were waiting.